Home Is Where The Heart Is
by PrincessShinade
Summary: My Avengers Fic. : Taylor was orphaned in the attack on New York City. On her to the orphanage from school, Steve witnesses some older kids bullying her, and steps in. Before he can talk to her, she runs away.
1. The Orphanage

_**Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own The Avengers or Marvel. All characters belong to the respective owners.**_

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Taylor Manson sat hunched over in a chair in the hospital waiting room, swinging her feet back and forth, as they didn't quite reach the floor. A few minutes later, a tall, blonde woman came in, carrying a clipboard in one hand, the in the other, a small box. The small eleven year old girl looked up when she heard footsteps, a hopeful look on her pale face. The doctor shook her head and the girls face fell.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." The doctor said, "We did everything we could. She would have wanted you to have this."

She handed the box to Taylor and crouched down so she was at the girl's eyelevel. Taylor tucked the box into her coat pocket and folded her hands in her lap.

"A social security agent will be here in a few minutes to take you to gather your things and then to the orphanage. Okay?"

Taylor merely nodded, making her dark curls bounce. Seeing that she wouldn't get a response out of the girl, the doctor stood up and walked away to check up on another patient. A silent tear ran down the girl's cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. She hoped out of the chair and slowly walked to the doors leading out into the streets of New York City. She walked out in to the cool evening air and slammed right into a petite, brunette woman with a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face wearing a grey suit and carrying a briefcase.

"Sorry." Taylor muttered, taking a step back.

"That's alright, kiddo!" The woman said cheerily, acting as if a few hundred lives hadn't been lost, and she wasn't taking a child to an orphanage, "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be Taylor, would you? I'm Ms. Carlyle!"

"Yeah, that's me." She sighed.

She followed the woman to a waiting car and climbed into the backseat.

"What's your address, kiddo? We need to pick up your stuff before we head over to Miss Mallory's."

"I haven't got a home. Not anymore. Our apartment was destroyed."

Ms. Carlyle's face stayed exactly the way it was, a cheery smile on her face and her eyes just as bright as ever.

"Well then!" She replied, "Straight to Miss Mallory's it is!"

For the rest of the car ride, Taylor stayed silent. Just before they pulled up in front of the orphanage, Mrs. Mallory's Home for Children, she pulled out the box and opened it. It was her mother's only piece of jewelry. It was a necklace with a simple heart charm. She remember the countless hours she had spent helping their elderly neighbor just to save up enough to buy it as a gift. Her mother had been the most selfless person Taylor knew. She gave up many things just to give her daughter the best possible future, and Taylor had wanted to show her just how much she loved her mother. She pulled out the necklace and clasped it around her neck.

When the car pulled to a stop, Ms. Carlyle got out first, and opened the door for her.

"Here we are, kiddo!" The woman said, that sickeningly sweet smile still plastered on her face, "Welcome to your new home!"


	2. Bullies

Taylor was placed in a room with three other girls her age. She was given a few pairs of jeans and a few t-shirts to wear, as all her clothes had been lost when her apartment was destroyed. She attended the public school down the street along with other children in the orphanage. As the days and weeks passed by, a lot of children were claimed by relatives or adopted. She eventually ended up with the room all to herself.

One chilly December afternoon, a few months after her arrival, she was slowly trailing behind the others on her way back to Miss Mallory's after school. Some boys, about 2 years older than her, came up behind her and started pulling on her pigtails and teasing her about her purple eyes, and slight British accent. Steve Rogers was sitting in a café just across the street, and just so happened to witness one of the boys stick out his leg and trip the little girl. As he highly disliked bullies, he was naturally outraged. He got up out of his chair, paid for his coffee, and marched across the street.

"Excuse me, boys." He said, stepping up behind the two teenagers. They turned to face him and he noted the fact that they were wearing matching Captain America t-shirts. "But I really don't think the Captain would want you picking on an innocent girl."

"But we're serving justice!" One of the boys piped up, "Just like Captain America would!"

"Yeah," The other boy joined in, "She was...uh…she was…"

"She was stealing pencils from other kids!"

Steve bit back a laugh and said, "Don't you boys think that a teacher should handle this? I think that's what the Captain would do."

"…Really?"

"Really. Now why don't you boys head on home before your mothers start to worry."

The two boys nodded and ran off. Steve looked around for the girl, and spotted her running down the street.

"Hey! Wait!" He called after her. He sprinted after her, but since she was already far ahead, he barely noticed when she ran inside a tall, redbrick building on the corner. He stopped in front of the building and read the sign.

_Miss Mallory's Home for Children_

_Helping Orphans Find New Homes since 1923_

He stared up at the sign for a few more seconds before turning and head towards the tower. _Orphanage? _He thought, _Poor girl..._


End file.
